KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) -- When James Shields broke into the big leagues with Tampa Bay, the Rays were no better than the Kansas City Royals.

They lost more than 100 games his first season, and fared little better the following year. But by his third season as a starter, the Rays had finally turned the corner, many of their prized prospects forming the nucleus of a team that upstaged AL East stalwarts Boston and the Yankees and advanced all the way to the World Series.

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